Political Crossfire Forums

[Saracen]

Al Jazeera wrote: The Australian prime minister has apologised to the widow of a soldier who died while on duty in Iraq when the wrong body was sent home.



Private Jacob Kovco, who died in a Baghdad hospital a week ago becoming Australia's first military fatality in Iraq, was due to be buried with full military honours near Melbourne. However another body, possibly that of a Bosnian soldier, was flown to Australia while Kovco's body remained in a mortuary in Kuwait. Howard was woken in the middle of the night on Wednesday to take a phone call from Kovco's widow, Shelley. The prime minister said Shelley Kovco was very angry about the mix-up and demanded every effort be made to return her husband's body as soon as possible.

Howard said during a radio interview: "I just want to say how incredibly sorry I am for what has happened and I wish in some way I could have altered it, but I can't." The defence minister, Brendan Nelson, said a private mortuary in Kuwait appeared to be responsible for the mistake, and that the Australian government was investigating how Kovco's coffin was swapped for another. The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper reported that the government, severely embarrassed by the mix-up, plans to send a senior defence official and civilian pathologist to Iraq next week to investigate.

Talk about incompetence. I mean, being held up for corruption charges is one thing, but this is ridiculous..

[Blinky]

Howard is a moron Saracen. But he can't be held accountable for this. Whats the point of this thread?

[Ch33kY]

Hopefully the soldier will be home before Christmas.

:-D:-D

[Blinky]

VERY poor taste, Cheeky.

[Somebloke]

The government's "Let's never admit anything" policy- observed here through the secrecy of the soldier's (probably, let's face it, extremely straightforward) death, has turned good PR into bad.

I really dislike that little Gollum, and his culture of squelching independance in the public service.

[Blinky]

Somebloke wrote: The government's "Let's never admit anything" policy- observed here through the secrecy of the soldier's (probably, let's face it, extremely straightforward) death, has turned good PR into bad.

I really dislike that little Gollum, and his culture of squelching independance in the public service.

How was it ever good PR?

[Ch33kY]

Blinky wrote: Somebloke wrote: The government's "Let's never admit anything" policy- observed here through the secrecy of the soldier's (probably, let's face it, extremely straightforward) death, has turned good PR into bad.

I really dislike that little Gollum, and his culture of squelching independance in the public service.

How was it ever good PR?

A dead military 'hero' becomes a martyr for the cause. There was political advantage for the Australian government in the death of a human being, they were just unlucky that there was the whole issue of his body. Nonetheless, the military 'hero' honouring continues.

[Blinky]

Ch33kY wrote: Blinky wrote: Somebloke wrote: The government's "Let's never admit anything" policy- observed here through the secrecy of the soldier's (probably, let's face it, extremely straightforward) death, has turned good PR into bad.

I really dislike that little Gollum, and his culture of squelching independance in the public service.

How was it ever good PR?

A dead military 'hero' becomes a martyr for the cause. There was political advantage for the Australian government in the death of a human being, they were just unlucky that there was the whole issue of his body. Nonetheless, the military 'hero' honouring continues.

When a professional soldier is accidentally shot in the head with his own gun, he isn't a matyr for the cause. In fact, its a PR disaster because it makes the ADF seem incompetent, possibly undertrained, and generally unable to deal with the job they have been "trained" to do. If anything, its ammunition for the anti-war cause.

[Somebloke]

Be that as it may, even a suicide/imcompetence death is a better situation than both the civilians and the soldiers believing that, should a soldier die in embarrassing circumstances, a cover-up is assured...that is potentially far worse for morale.

[Ch33kY]

Blinky wrote: Ch33kY wrote: Blinky wrote: Somebloke wrote: The government's "Let's never admit anything" policy- observed here through the secrecy of the soldier's (probably, let's face it, extremely straightforward) death, has turned good PR into bad.

I really dislike that little Gollum, and his culture of squelching independance in the public service.

How was it ever good PR?

A dead military 'hero' becomes a martyr for the cause. There was political advantage for the Australian government in the death of a human being, they were just unlucky that there was the whole issue of his body. Nonetheless, the military 'hero' honouring continues.

When a professional soldier is accidentally shot in the head with his own gun, he isn't a matyr for the cause.

That's why they're trying to make him a martyr. Look at all the newspapers, its 'first soldier dead in Iraq'. Tell me, would there be this much attention to a gunshot victim outside of the military? No way. It's a military death nonetheless, which means serious political advantage for either side of politics provided the media jump on the cause.

[Blinky]

Somebloke wrote: Be that as it may, even a suicide/imcompetence death is a better situation than both the civilians and the soldiers believing that, should a soldier die in embarrassing circumstances, a cover-up is assured...that is potentially far worse for morale.


I may just be tired but I found it really hard to understand that sentence. Nevertheless, he did die in embarrassing circumstances. There has been no cover up. I'm not sure what youre saying and you still need to explain how a soldier dying under these circumstances could ever be spun so as to appear a good thing for the Howard/pro-war cause.